Diagnostic Scanners - Forum Members Recommendations?

[Martian]

Hi There Everybody.

I believe that there has been much debate about the various diagnostic OBD Scanners that are available for the Mercedes range of vehicles.

Everybody seems to have their own preference and I would, therefore, welcome your thoughts/comments regarding the following: -

MB Star - (Possibly a tad too expensive)?
Carsoft MB 7.4 - (38 Pin).
Foxwell NT Pro 530 - (38 Pin).
ICarsoft MB V2.0 / V3.0 - (OBD only).

As I also own a Range Rover I decided to invest in an iCarsoft LR V2.0 and it had soon paid for itself when I encountered a fuel delivery problem that put the Rangey into 'limp' mode.

I was working on my E270 Estate, (W211), at the same time and replaced all of the front control arms and ball joints and I also stripped and serviced the brakes and replaced the rear handbrake shoes.

I seriously considered purchasing a Mercedes specific iCarsoft Scanner, (just in case of any brake related errors and a need to pulse the ABS when bleeding the circuits when I had finished stripping the calipers), but then decided it would be more cost effective to sell the soecific iCarsoft LR model and buy the iCarsoft Multi Car, (10 Makes), Scanner instead.

The multi Scanner arrived and it works fine on both the Range Rover and the E270, (W211), and I never realised just how many electronic modules were on my E270!!!

I have recently 'acquired' my latest project vehicle, (2002 CLK320 - W208 I believe?), which was sold as 'faulty' due to an auto transmission issue and priced accordingly!

The owner had provided the diagnostic error code which would appear to point to the infamous gearbox 'Electroplate' issue but I just need to confirm the quoted transmission error codes before I empty the box and then remove the filter and the suspect electroplate!

The more astute forum members will know what I am going to say next!!

The CLK320, (W208), was manufactured before all of the electronic modules were accessible via the standard OBD port.

The various electronic modules have to be accessed via the 38 pin diagnostic socket in the engine bay.

I believe that the majority of modules are accessible via different pins and the earlier diagnostic scanners have to use a 'multiplexer' to interrogate all of the different pins in order to request and read module data.

Obviously the later iCarsoft Scanners, (and many other alternatives), are only equipped to use the standard 14 pin OBD port, (usually located in the drivers footwell area), and are not capable of reading data from the 38 pin diagnostic socket.

Therefore I need to identify a suitable scanner that will connect to the 38pin socket and read the various modules from this location.

Obviously the official Mercedes Star diagnostics tool will do this, (with the correct leads and multiplexer), but this looks a tad expensive!

Carsoft, (not to be confused with iCarsoft - I believe they are tdifferent nt company's), does the original MB V7.4 and V12 Systems.

'System' denotes both hardware and software supplied to read data from the 38 pin diagnostic socket.

I have read lots of conflicting reports as to the functionality of these systems, (there seems to be more favourable reviews of the V7.4 System as opposed to the latest V12 System)?

I certainly do not want to cast any aspersions and I am only stating my observations to date from posts read from many sources.

I actually logged onto the Carsoft website, (I believe that the company is based in Belgium), and sent a message to them asking a few questions about their V12 system).

I was most impressed as I received a call back, within minutes, from a chap named Geert who was most helpful and further explained the issues around my CLK and the fact that the modules do not share the same data bus - hence the need for the 38 pin cable and a multiplexer!

Geert even provided me with a discounted price should I wish to purchase a second diagnostic tool for my later E270!

I note that there has been some interesting discussions regarding a subscription based tool called 'Carly' but I have yet to research this alternative further!

That leaves the other diagnostic tool that I have read some good reviews about - the Foxwell NT Pro 530.

This seems to receive positive reviews but it does not appear to be readily available in the UK but can be obtained from Europe and the States - subject to additional import taxes of course!

Decisions, decisions!

Any comments and suggestions gratefully received as always and apologies for the lengthy introductory posting!

Martian.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

I purchased an iCarsoft CR PRO through UK Parts Direct which is compatable to most car manufacturers as I’m currently running MB and BMW cars. As regards your dilemma I would give UK Parts Direct a ring with a list of what you would like to achieve with the scanner I have found them extremely helpful and their after sales customer care likewise. My initial query to them was tracking an ABS fault on the MB and a BMS battery registration on the BMW

 

[LostKiwi]

Basically you need to split this into two separate requirements.
38 pin cars - Star, Carsoft 7.4 or 12 (I have the first two).
OBD2 cars - Star, iCarsoft MB-II, iCarsoft i980 and Autel AP200 are the ones I have. Of these the AP200 is the only one that's is multi-manufacturer but it's an annual subscription for every vehicle after the first one. It's also the cheapest and most portable being a dongle matched to a phone. I've also found a few 'anomales' is the software - not with reading codes but in live data.
The i980 is a very compact simple code reader that is a bit like Ronseal. It does what it says on the tin. Very basic code reader.
The MB-II is a step up (and the V2 and V3 are improved versions) is a very capable code reader that can also give useful live data. Again I've noticed a few 'anomalies' in the live data particularly around interesting temperature readings that cannot be correct but otherwise a useful step up from the i980.
Star of course is the dogs dangly bits. Not only does it read codes but it can perform guided tests and is a full diagnosis tool. With developer mode as well it can be extremely dangerous to your vehicle health if you aren't careful. The Chinese clones can also be a bit variable in terms of quality and completeness.

Star really doesn't belong in the same category as the others as it is leagues ahead in capabilities and we'll worth the extra if you are going to keep with MB vehicles.

There is also Vediamo which looks interesting but I've yet to try.

 

[Botus]

much of my decision making would be around a number of points like
what skills you have
what length of time you will have and or work on Mercs,
How many Mercs you are going to play with
How deep down the rabbit hole do you want to trash the car ?

a Merc set up is £900 to £1500 with a big learning curve to make much use of anything much more than code a SAM or diagnose a fault
The MB-II would be good if u have lots of Mercs to fluff over and already know what to do just need pointing in the right direction
Otherwise I go for an Autel setup on multiple vehicles

remember even 3k in, you can't do much other than read and clear a list of random gibberish
at 5k spent you can start to try remote updates on some high end diagnostic tools - in the USA they are further down the road, and for 50 quid a day you can buy in to the Merc db and really try and vandalise the car pushing later software at it and getting the manu to rebuild the set up correctly online - if you try at home if you can get the file, a later update might have more lines of code and you can get in a pickle of how to make the car work again.... SCN is online Merc coding of individual ecu's on the car to suit the new software.... But here you need another 200-500 quid on a power source to keep the battery happy

 

[Martian]

Botus,

Many thanks for your excellent advice.

I would consider myself more electronically, (and digitally), biased that mechanically minded - although I am still pretty capable with a spanner although I lost my humble lathe skills many ions ago!

There was a time when I would have tried reverse engineering some of the manufacturer interfaces - and I believe that one of the electronics hobby magazines once published circuit diagrams for those who wished to build their own interfaces and interrogate their car modules in the early days!

I have no interest, (or desire), to undertake any form of re-programming of the engine, (or associated modules), although the ability to make changes to the cars general behaviour would be beneficial, (my E270 W211 turns on the side lights and fog lights when the car is unlocked remotely - and it is VERY easy to locate in a crowded car park), and I believe that options like that may be possible to 'program' on some models?

The ability to program keys is another facility that, I am sure, many owners would appreciate too!

I just require a tool to check for errors in the various modules and my iCarsoft multi Scanner does an admirable job on my Range Rover and my E270 but it is not capable of reading data for anything other than the engine, (on my 2002 CLK320), as I believe that all other modules are only accessible via the 38 pin diagnostic socket under the bonnet.

I just need to interrogate the auto transmission module in order to extract the fault codes in order to try and confirm the exact problem with my early 2002 CLK320 before I start tearing the box apart!

Obviously a reset of the codes would be my first step - just in case the fault was intermittent - but I am sure that my luck will not extend that far!

Regards,

Martian.

 

[Botus]

if u plan on plugging in to more than one brand and working a cars for fun - this would be the right place for everyone to start out - but at £1400, a 50 quid ebay thing seems like a good idea - but it isn't

Autel UK - Vehicle Diagnostics

Autel UK is the official distributor of Autel Vehicle Diagnostic Equipment in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Buy SMART. Always buy from an authorised dealer.

www.autel.uk

but then you'll always sit there thinking if only I can flash an update at this module - but then the money goes mad....

Autel UK - Vehicle Diagnostics

Autel UK is the official distributor of Autel Vehicle Diagnostic Equipment in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Buy SMART. Always buy from an authorised dealer.

www.autel.uk

I've got a 3k snap on thing is pretty useless and they're update programme is sadly a few light years off Autel's
I have an 8 year old 400 quid autel that does twice as much as the snap on thing can on Mercs...